A few weeks ago I wrote about the Halifax Regional Municipality’s plan to upgrade the Halifax Common. My general take on the issue was that the widening of paved walkways and the creation of a “special events plaza” (involving more “hard surfaces”) were not necessarily bad things, especially if they made the space more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
I knew it was a bit of a hot-button issue, and I knew it would get a response from readers – and it has. I also knew that in my pro-pavement stance I was going to appear to be on the “wrong” side of all that was righteous and good, so perhaps a little clarification on my part is in order.
First, I am not an Enemy of the Halifax Common, as some of the “Friends of the Halifax Common” seem to think. Even though I’m not upset about the use of asphalt and the creation of “hard-surfaced entrances” – which the “Friends” reference repeatedly on their website – I still recognize the importance of public green space in keeping cities vibrant and interesting.
And I am not, as Mr. Ruffman (a board member of the aforementioned FHC) suggested in his recent letter to the editor, in favour of selling off all public lands, “clothing them in subdivisions” and paving them over to create parking lots. Sheesh. I just thought it might be nice to have a space where folks could hang out and hear some local musicians, watch a dance performance, maybe even sit out and see a bit of theatre in the fresh air.
However, that doesn’t mean that I think mega-concerts on the Common are a great idea. I don’t. Perhaps I should have been clear about that. And perhaps this will come as a surprise, but I actually think that “Friend” Beverly Miller made a great point in her editorial rebuttal to my column when she argued that the “events plaza” planned for the Common appears to be a bit of a red herring, designed to distract from the real point of HRM’s enthusiasm for these improvements, which is to get the permanent electrical infrastructure in place to facilitate big shows.
Frankly, she appears to be onto something there. As her letter pointed out, by far the biggest chunk of money allotted for improvements to the North Common in 2010 will be spent to create “permanent power for concerts.”
But while Ms. Miller and I agree that the Common is not the right venue for these extravaganzas, it’s quite possible that we feel that way for different reasons. I won’t speak for her, but my objection is based on the fact that the concerts are completely disruptive to the people who live in the area, and to the people who regularly use the fields. If I still lived within a stone’s throw of the Common and had to personally deal with the noise and disruption of all that set-up and tear-down, not to mention the traffic and crowds during the actual concerts, I would be apoplectic.
But mega-concerts notwithstanding, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The “Friends” want to protect what remains of the city’s common lands, and I get that. But great public spaces draw people in – locals and tourist alike – and that is not the current reality of the North Common.
My point is merely that we should be careful not to “protect” our common space to the point where it is of very little use to anyone.
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